The Broken Oath
by EmperoroftheUniverse
Summary: "You are the offspring of a broken oath – the bastard child of a tainted vow." Even for a demigod, Alexey Lebedev is extraordinary, and not in a good way. With his claiming, Camp Half-Blood and Olympus itself will fall to chaos. It will spark a civil dispute of divine proportions. Will Alexey have the strength to overcome a tragedy of vengeance? Can he mend the rift among the gods?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was another slow summer Monday. And like any other slow summer Monday, I was stuck waiting tables in Brooklyn's worst Russian hole-in-the-wall, _Veal iz Vasily_. The tips weren't great, and the place smelled faintly of old meat, but I still had to be grateful that my father had talked his old friend, Vasily himself, into giving me a job.

"You are sixteen years old now, Alexey. It's about time you started working. I won't be around to give you free food forever!" my father, Maxim Lebedev, had said, an affectionate smile on his face. I had only time to scowl with disapproval before he whipped out his phone and dialed Vasily's number.

I smiled for a moment, recalling the memory. I knew my Papa always had my best interests at heart, even if my heart wasn't always in the right place.

Standing at the server's station in the back of the deserted restaurant, I heard the bells hanging on the front door chime. I looked over to see two young women walk in and sit at a booth against the wall. I grabbed a couple menus and some rolled up silverware and walked over to them.

"Hi, welcome to Vasily's," I began with a polite smile. "What can I get you to drink?" I asked as I placed the silverware and menus. Up close, I realized that the two women were incredibly beautiful – perhaps the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. Realizing that I was being rude, I flashed my eyes downward.

"Hey there," one began, fluttering her eyelashes and smiling. "We'll both have water." I glanced at the other, who nodded, grinning as well.

"Alright," I answered, still with a small smile, "I'll be right back." As I turned to walk to the back, I could've sworn I caught a glimpse of their smiles wavering, as though they were dissatisfied for some reason. Dismissing this, I got two cups of water and returned with them. "Here you go. Would you like to start off with any appetizers?"

As I asked the question, the two started up once more with their beating eyelashes and suggestive smiles. They hadn't even opened their menus. "Oh, sweetie, that's okay," the second one said. "We're hungry, but not for an appetizer." She had a smug look on her face. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable as I felt blood rush into my cheeks. I stared at her for a few seconds and then stammered.

"O-okay, well, I'll give you a few minutes to look at the menu." I quickly turned and headed for the kitchen. I could hear them whispering sharply behind me as I walked. I thought one of them even hissed. I burst through the kitchen doors feeling thoroughly embarrassed and a little freaked out.

I knew it had been a small thing, just a girl hitting on me. Maybe they were just messing with me, seeing that I was a teenage boy.

I stood there for a few minutes, leaning against the wall and recollecting myself. I ran my hands through my mop of brown hair, took a deep breath, and walked back through the doors.

The two stared me down as I approached the table. Trying my best to smile again through my nerves, I asked, "Are we ready to order?" I eyed the still-unopened menus nervously. "Or do you need more time?"

They, on the other hand, were no longer smiling.

"Look, kid. We came in here because we smelled something tasty. Now you can either—" The woman was cut short by the front door chiming. I was saved by the bell, and by Fletcher Meadows, my best friend and coworker. I noticed that he had frozen in place, still in the doorway, glaring at the women.

He briskly walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "I'll handle this, Alexey." Relief flooding my body, I escaped back to the server's station and watched him "handle" it. He and the women exchanged what seemed like some very fierce, heated words, until finally the two women conceded, standing up, grimacing at one another, and exited the restaurant.

Smiling lazily, Fletcher approached me. To be honest, that had been very unlike him. Usually he couldn't care less who was in the restaurant – and half the time he let people leave without paying. I studied him carefully, making sure he wasn't about to flip out on me next. However, his green eyes betrayed no impending conniption.

"Hey, man," he drawled, as though what had just taken place actually hadn't. "What's up?"

"What's _up_?" I demanded. "Seriously, what was that?" I peered over his shoulder at the doors to make sure no more pretty ladies were about to walk in.

"What was what, dude?" he replied, his lazy expression unchanging.

"Those girls! What did you tell them? Why did you freak out like that?"

"Oh, them? I told 'em that if they weren't gonna order any food, they could scram."

"Uh, okay." He had appeared to say much more than that, but I decided to drop it. I grabbed the bill of his cap and pushed it down over his eyes, like I always did when I saw him. "Anyway, now that you're here, I'm gonna go clock out."

"Alright, bro," he giggled, pushing his cap back up over his wavy blond curls.

I got home around four o'clock, leaving me with a couple hours until my dad got home. The two of us lived in a small condo in Brighton Beach, at the very southern tip of Brooklyn. It was an interesting area, to say the least, populated by the families of Russian immigrants like my dad. And the beaches were nice, as long as you didn't mind large, hairy tourists.

I dragged myself to my room, my feet sore, and flopped onto my bed. All of a sudden, I felt very sleepy. Before I could even think about it, I was out like a light.

That's when the dreams began, as they always did.

I stood on a hill, between a large statue of some serious-looking woman and a pine tree, overlooking a valley of strawberry fields and open green. At the bottom of the valley I saw a huge four-story house painted light blue, complete with a wraparound porch. I recognized this place, even though I had never been here in real life. In the distance I could also see what looked like several cabins in a square formation, a Greek-looking amphitheater, and a tall wall with lava seeping down the sides.

Before I could gaze at everything there was to take in, the statue began to speak. That had never happened before. Looking down on me, disapproval tingeing her mien, the stone woman said, "You are the offspring of a broken oath – the bastard child of a tainted vow. We do not smile upon you." I blanched. What was she talking about?

The scene changed, and I was alone in a small, chilly cave, sitting by a fire, rubbing my hands together. I had been here before in my dreams as well. I liked this place, lonely though it was, and I was glad to be away from that statue. As the flames flickered, I could suddenly make out a face in the center of the blaze. As soon as I discerned its womanly features, though, the fire shot up, sending a cloud of ash into the air.

When I looked up, I was surrounded by tall, dark figures, refusing to be illuminated by the light of my fire. This was definitely new. The shadows drew nearer and nearer, closing in on me. I panicked, standing up and looking for a way to escape. However, without warning, the figures flew past me and into the fire, putting it out and leaving me in pitch black darkness.

I woke with a start. I was in my bed, covered in sweat. I touched my hands to my face and realized that I had been crying. I covered my eyes, trying to vanquish the thoughts of the bizarre changes to my once-peaceful dreams.

I heard sounds coming from the kitchen downstairs. Drying my eyes on my blanket, I got out of bed and went to greet my father.

Papa and I sat across from each other in silence at our small kitchen table, chowing down on the Chinese takeout he had brought home.

My father was a journalist reporting for a local Russian newspaper. On the side, he also ran a blog on which he posted about current events in Russia: fashion trends, crime reports, government activity, that sort of thing. I suppose it meant a lot to the people around here to learn about the goings-on of their homeland from a good source.

He broke the silence. "How was work today, Alyosha?" (Alyosha was a nickname – don't get me started on Russian pet names).

"It was—"

"Hold on, hold on, let me guess. 'It was okay,'" he mocked, a playful sparkle in his eyes. I tried my best to sneer, but I couldn't help smiling.

"Fine. It was boring as all get-out. Nothing happened," I muttered, focusing intently on my half-eaten shrimp egg roll.

"Nothing? Are you sure?" he pressed.

"Okay, well, maybe something happened, but it was nothing."

"Something, but nothing? How can something be nothing?"

"It was— okay, now I'm confused."

We both laughed.

"Okay," he started again, more gently. "Tell me what happened."

My cheeks colored for the umpteenth time that day. "Alright. So, these two girls came in today. And like, they started to— Well, I guess you could say they were flirting." I ducked my head.

"Look at you! My son the ladies' man." He grinned proudly. The corners of my mouth twitched downward.

"And so, uh, I didn't really know what to do, and they all of a sudden got really serious, like they were upset, talking about how they had smelled something and were really hungry. But, I mean, they hadn't even opened their menus."

A look of worry touched his face. He narrowed his eyes. "What did these girls look like?"

"Uh, well, they were pretty. Like, really pretty. Really, really pretty." I couldn't stop blushing, talking to my dad about this. "But then, Fletcher came in, and he got all serious too, like the girls offended him somehow. I don't know. He made them leave."

His eyes widened. "I see." The noodles he had scooped up fell off his fork.

"What? What is it?"

"Nothing, it's nothing. That's just strange. But like you said, it's nothing, I'm sure." I scowled. He sounded like me. First Fletcher wouldn't tell me what the deal was, and now Papa. "Well," he said, standing up, "I'd better get ready for bed. I've got to wake up early to update the blog. Can you take care of the leftovers, Lyosha?"

"Yeah. Goodnight, Papa." After he had disappeared up the stairs, I got to work filling the fridge with tomorrow's breakfast. I sighed in frustration. What was even going on? What was it about those girls that worried my father and Fletcher so much?

Finishing up in the kitchen, I trudged up the stairs. I was beat. As I crossed in front of Papa's door, though, my senses perked. I could hear him speaking, very urgently. He was on the phone with someone. Slowly and silently, I brought my ear to the door.

 _"…really think it's best that he goes to the camp right away? Don't these things take a bit of time before they start getting out of hand?"_ Camp? Who was "he"? Papa hadn't mentioned any camp to me.

 _"Yes, I suppose you're right. I'm not sure what took them so long. Keeping him any longer would probably be a gamble at this point… I don't know if I'm ready to let him go yet, but his safety comes first."_ I knitted my eyebrows. I didn't know what to think about that. Was he going to send me somewhere? What took _who_ so long? My safety?

 _"Okay, Fletcher."_ Fletcher?! _"Please come by tomorrow and watch over him for the day. I need to know that he is protected. When I get home from work, I suppose I will break the news, and we can make the preparations. Hang on, let me go check on him."_

My head was spinning. I stepped back and breathed in sharply, realizing that I had been holding my breath. Coming to my senses, I bolted to my room. I quickly stripped down, threw my clothes into the hamper, and jumped into my bed. No sooner had I pulled the blanket over my head than my dad opened the door. I attempted to slow my breathing. After a few moments, my door clicked shut. Exhausted, I relaxed and let a dreamless sleep take over.

I woke up the next morning to the sound of the doorbell. Morning sunlight streamed through the curtains right into my eyes. Groaning, I stretched out my limbs and put a pillow over my face, wondering what anyone could want this early in the morning.

Then, thoughts of last night came flooding in. I froze as I recalled what I had overheard my father talking about on the phone. He had been talking to _Fletcher_. And if I remembered correctly, I was supposedly in some kind of danger. I cursed, wishing it had all been just a dream. But I knew that wasn't the case.

I dragged myself out of bed, pulling on some sweatpants and a tank top, and ran downstairs to the door. Just as I expected, when I opened it, there was Fletcher, casual as ever. I stared at him, unsure of what to say. Should I pretend to know nothing?

"Hey, dude," he said, walking past me and making a beeline for the kitchen. As he started digging through the fridge, I decided I would feign ignorance for the day. Whatever was going on, I wanted to hear it from my dad.

"Uh, hey, Fletch. Um, what are you doing here?" I inquired, exaggerating my question a little too much. Real convincing, I thought to myself.

"Just hangin', yo," was the only reply I got, emitted from the depths of the refrigerator.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna… go get ready for the day," I mumbled, heading back upstairs to the bathroom.

Observing my reflection in the mirror, I noticed that my eyes were bloodshot, little streaks of red lightning shooting out from my brown irises. I had already felt like a zombie waking up this early on my day off; it didn't sit well with me knowing that I looked like one too. My prominent cheekbones and jawline – things I inherited from my father – didn't help the gauntness of my countenance, either.

It was obvious that I was more than a little worried – I was scared. I couldn't imagine how I would manage to act normal around Fletcher all day, especially considering he was here to "watch over" me. As I stepped into the shower, I considered just how ridiculous that sounded, _Fletcher_ watching over _me_. I could think of no one less responsible than Fletcher Meadows. With that thought, I sped through my shower, brushed my teeth, got dressed, and raced back downstairs.

I had not been fast enough. I gaped at the disaster area that was now my kitchen and tried to decide whether I should call nine-one-one to report a burglary.

 _Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?_

 _Hello, yes, my best friend has stolen my peace of mind, as well as all my food._

"Dude!" I called out as I surveyed the damage, chip bags and candy wrappers and – did that soda can have a bite out of it? – empty takeout boxes strewn all over the counters and the floor. "Why— No— _How_ did you do this?"

"What?" he called back, obviously not paying attention. He was in the living room playing a video game.

"Never mind." I sighed as I pulled a trash bag from my barren pantry and got to work cleaning up. By the time I finished up scourging the kitchen, Fletcher had put on some romantic comedy B movie.

I threw myself into an armchair, ready to stay put here until my dad got home. I couldn't focus on the movie; I simply had too much on my mind. Sitting there, I let my mind drift to yesterday's dreams. Those dark figures in the cave had terrified me. I was afraid to even close my eyes anymore for fear that the shadows would be there when I opened them. And that statue on the hill had spoken. What had she called me? A bastard child? Wasn't it, like, unacceptable to call people that these days? Like I needed reminding that my mom wasn't around…

Let's not go there, I thought to myself. I'd been down that path far too many times.

What else had she said? Something about a… a broken oath. A "tainted vow." Whatever, it probably meant nothing, anyway. It was just a dream. With that, I forced myself to pay attention to the stale plot of the movie.

Several hours and too many rom-coms later, Fletcher's stomach rumbled – loudly – announcing that he was hungry. As if on cue, he stood up and complained, "I'm starved."

I got up and walked after him. "Are you sure? You ate the whole kitchen. I'd hate for you to eat all the other rooms as well," I replied dryly. To tell the truth, I was hungry too. I hadn't eaten anything all day, and it was about dinner time. "We could go pick something up."

Fletcher jerked his head toward me, the same look on his face he had given the women at Vasily's, startling me. He looked at me for a moment and said, "Nah, it'd be better if we stayed here. We can just order a pizza." I got an idea.

"Why would it be better to stay here?" I countered, narrowing my eyes. "Something out there scare you?" I was all in.

That took him off guard. "N-no, I just, don't feel like going out is all, bro. What makes you say that?" I had him on the defensive. I steeled myself and went in for the kill.

"You're right, it would be a shame if we were to run into anymore hungry beautiful women. After all, you're supposed to be watching over me." Fletcher was in shock.

However, we both turned our heads when we heard a key turning in the front door. Finally, my father was home. I shot Fletcher a glare and ambled back to my armchair. He followed and took his place on the couch.

"Hi, Papa," I spoke, a hint of annoyance in my voice. All this nonsense was really eating at me.

"Hi, Mr. Lebedev," Fletcher mumbled, still in a daze.

"Ah, hello, boys. How was your day?" I picked up on the anxiety in his voice.

"Fine," I replied. "We just watched movies. Also, we need to go grocery—"

"Alexey," he interrupted with my seldom-used proper name, "we need to talk."

Papa, Fletcher, and I sat in silence in the living room – the two of them on the couch and me still in the chair. Nerves flooded my body. I had no idea what to expect, so I kept up my act.

"Uh, Papa, is there a reason we're having this talk with Fletcher here?" Fletcher eyed me carefully, as if gauging how fast I could run and whether he could catch me, but he stayed silent.

"Fletcher is here because I asked him to be."

"I don't understand. Is someone dead?"

"No, Alexey, no one is dead." My father sighed.

"Yet," Fletcher murmured. Papa gave him the evil eye.

"Okay, I've had enough," I declared. "Tell me what's going on. Now."

Papa looked away for a few moments, and then looked me directly in the eye, and began to speak.

"This is difficult, Alexey. You— _We_ are in a difficult situation. And I know that we've had hard times before, and we've always gotten through them, together, but nothing like this. What I'm about to tell you, it's… Well, frankly, you aren't going to believe it."

"Can you get to the point?"

"Please, Alyosha, I'm trying. Your Papa is trying. But, I will attempt to cut to the chase. This is about who you are. Or, more precisely, _what_ you are." He took a moment, rubbing his eyes. I said nothing. Finally, he started again. "You, Alexey, are a demigod."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The statement faded into the silence of the room. Papa's eyes radiated intensity. All I could manage was, "What?"

Fletcher took over. He enunciated with surprising coherence. "A demigod. Half human, half god. Greek god. Like Athena, Zeus, Hermes, all them. Like from world history."

I thought for a moment. It was a silly memory to recall at that moment, but I remembered acting out scenes from _The Odyssey_ in that class, everyone mispronouncing words and tripping over bedsheet togas. I had played the role of Poseidon, god of the sea.

Papa looked at the floor. "Your mother," – that caught my attention – "was a goddess." He had a sad, almost lonely look in his eyes.

I shook my head, trying to understand. "Is this some kind of joke? Are you really joking about Mom? Whatever it is, it isn't funny!" I was suddenly fuming.

"Alexey, no. I need you to listen to me. Look me in the eyes." I did as I was told, but I could feel tears forming, as they always did when I got worked up.

"Your mother was a goddess," he repeated. "I did not know this at the time of our… meeting. I did not even know her name. We had our night together, and she left. Three days later, you were at my doorstep, with a note. It said— hang on, I still have it."

He left for his room and came back a few moments later with a folded, yellowed stationery card. He passed it to me, and with trembling hands, I opened it. There, in simple, gold script, ' _Our son. Forgive me_.' I stared down at it for a long time. This was all too much. I knew that he couldn't be joking – this note was clearly very old. Yet, all rationality and reason within me was screaming, _This isn't real! You're going crazy!_

I shook my head again. "Then how did you find out? How did you discover what she was?"

"When you appeared only three days later, I thought I had gone mad. But I knew you were mine. I was certain of it. I didn't know how it was possible, but I knew that a higher power was at work. Over the years, as you grew up, more and more I felt as though I had been blessed. You were a gift. And then, a year ago, Fletcher here came to me, telling me that he was sure you were a demigod. He explained everything to me. It all suddenly made sense."

I still stared at the note. If all this was true, then I was a demigod, like in the old stories. I was the son of some Greek goddess. "So, you don't know which goddess she was, then?" I asked, my voice scratchy.

"No, I do not. Our friend here, though, hopes to help us find out. Which brings me to my next point. You are in danger, and we don't have much time." The look on Papa's face… It was devastation.

"Your godly powers are growing stronger, and that means your scent is growing," Fletcher stated matter-of-factly. He had somehow become all-business over the course of the last ten minutes or so.

"My… scent?"

"Yes. Monsters can smell you. Those women back at Vasily's yesterday? Those weren't mortal women, Alexey. They were _empousai_ , blood-drinkers. They were attempting to seduce you with their charmspeak. However, fortunately, you were immune. We were lucky that I was able to shoo them off, but, I don't want to push that luck. Your demigod scent grows stronger everyday. And, I have a feeling that you're a demigod of great potential – the son of some very ancient goddess. I can sense your power."

"My power…" I echoed.

"So, our next course of action is to bring you to Camp Half-Blood. It's a camp for people like you – half-bloods, of the Greek variety, out on Long Island. I'd like to get going very soon, actually."

"How long would I have to go for?" I sighed with resignation. I had gone insane, and there was nothing to be done about it.

"Well, indefinitely. At least until you learn to defend yourself. Even then, returning home for the school year would be risky. Many campers stay year-round…"

I glanced at my Papa, trying to wrap my head around this all. His eyes pleaded with me, but not without revealing the despair he felt. I decided then that I had to be strong for him. "Alright," I croaked, "I'll go."

In half an hour, I had packed a duffel bag with the essentials – a few changes of clothes, my toiletries, and a picture of Papa and me on the beach. I had taken a few moments to study it; we looked so happy, so carefree, standing in front of the ocean. In just two days, all that had changed. I had a sickening feeling that things were going to get worse from here.

Now, the three of us stood by the front door, Fletcher and I ready to make the drive to this Camp Half-Blood place. Teary-eyed, I couldn't look up at Papa. It was unbearable knowing that I was leaving him alone. He pulled me into a tight hug.

"You will be safe, Lyosha. This is for the best. I love you," he whispered in my ear.

"I love you too, Papa," I managed, trying to fend off sobs. After a few moments, he let go, and Fletcher opened the door.

"We'd better get going," he asserted gently.

I looked up at Papa then. "I'll come back as soon as I can. And I'll write you." Fletcher had mentioned that I was not allowed to bring my cell phone; apparently the signal alerted monsters.

Papa put a hand on my shoulder and said, "You will make me proud. Now, go."

Fletcher and I went through the door and got in his bright green VW Beetle, which was parked along the sidewalk. As soon as we were moving, I fixed my gaze away from him and out the window, allowing my tears to escape silently. I stole one last look at the condo I had spent my whole life in. My inhibitions told me that the next time I came here, nothing would be the same.

"The journey will take about two hours," Fletcher proclaimed, interrupting my thoughts. "If we're quick enough, we shouldn't have to worry about any encounters."

I wiped my eyes and turned on him. "What happened to you? Why are you talking like that?"  
He looked over at me like I had gone crazy. "What? Oh, you mean my undercover dialect." He smirked. "That was fake."

"So my best friend for a whole year was fake."

"No, of course not! We're still best friends. But I had to do everything I could to protect you without raising any suspicion. So, I disguised myself as someone so remarkably below average that you'd never expect I was assigned to be a lookout for you. The truth is, though, I'm one of the best satyrs at Camp Half-Blood!"

"Assigned? Great, probably the only real friend I've ever had was actually assigned to me. What is a satyr?"

"Oh, goodness! Of course you don't know. A satyr is a creature that is half human, half goat. Here, see for yourself." Much to my dismay, Fletcher began pulling his pants off, and I covered my eyes.

"Dude, what are you doing?" I demanded, blushing furiously.

"It's okay, you can look," he answered, chuckling. Slowly lowering my hand, I looked at his legs and saw that they were… coated in fur. Goat fur. This day just had to get weirder. But it explained why Fletcher always wore pants, never shorts.

"Many satyrs training to become keepers are planted at schools throughout the country, scoping out potential demigods. New York City, of course, is a hotbed of divine activity. When I met you, I knew what you were right away. Dyslexic, ADHD – usual signs." I found myself feeling a bit self-conscious. What did that have to do with being a demigod? "But like I said, I could sense your power. I truly believe you're something special." As if being half god weren't special enough.

The remainder of the trip went smoothly enough. Fletcher was right; we'd had no paranormal mishaps. As we drove, the cityscape turned into countryside, and eventually strings of hills and strawberry fields surrounded us.

"We're approaching the border. Hang on."

Suddenly, he veered right off the road and started driving up a large hill. Holding tight to my seatbelt and looking up, I could see a tall pine tree and— was that a statue? We reached the top and Fletcher stopped the car. We were overlooking a large valley, a huge, light blue house at the bottom, surrounded by other Greek-inspired structures, the sun setting over a thick, forboding forest. This was the place from my dream.

I eyed the forty-foot statue warily, but, immobile it was nothing compared to the dragon I realized was snoozing wrapped around the tree.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood," Fletcher said. We descended the hill and parked right outside the house. As we got out, I noticed a very tall man stepping out onto the porch. Upon closer inspection, I realized the man was actually— a centaur?! The torso of an old man in a dress shirt and sport coat morphed smoothly into the body of a large, white stallion. I felt intimidated as we walked up the steps and stood before him.

"Well, Chiron, another assignment has been successfully completed."

"Well done, Mr. Meadows. If you could return your vehicle to the garage, I will take it from here. Alexey Lebedev, is it?" He directed the question at me. I nodded shyly. Fletcher departed, driving down a path leading over some of the hills that surrounded the camp. "Excellent. You can follow me. I'm sure you have many questions."

And that I did. It would be nice to finally get some direct answers. The centaur called Chiron led me inside to a cozy living room. Looking around, I saw a set of couches in front of a coffee table, facing a fireplace. Just above that, a leopard head was mounted on the wall. Except, it was moving, snapping at the air, trying to catch a fly that was buzzing around.

"Don't mind Seymour. Though I can't say he wouldn't bite you if he had a body, he cannot do it from up there." Looking away from Seymour, I spotted an electric wheelchair in front of the fireplace facing the couches. Before I knew it, Chiron backed up toward it and sat _into_ it, his equine rear-end magically vanishing. Where his horse body had been, a pair of false human legs now sat. I gawked at him.

Chiron laughed. "That never gets old. Go on and have a seat. You and I have much to discuss." I obeyed him, sinking into one of the leather couches.

All the questions I had swirled around in my mind, and I desperately tried to grab at one to ask. Embarrassingly, all I could come up with was, "How?"

Chiron knitted his eyebrows. "I imagine that question could refer to many different things. Could you please clarify?"

"How is any of this possible? How are there gods and goddesses? How is any of it real?"

He breathed out through his nose. These were probably his most frequently asked questions. "Those are rather complex questions that require rather complex answers, but I will try to put it in simple terms. The Greek gods and goddesses… They have always been alive, for they embody the spirit of Western Society. After Greece fell, even after the Roman Empire fell, the gods remained, moving along to wherever the Western flame burned the brightest."

"So now they're here? In America?"

"That's right. As a matter of fact, the home of the gods, named Olympus after the original Mount Olympus in Greece, now floats above the Empire State Building in your very own New York. They have never been far away, Alexey Lebedev. The symbols of the gods are so prevalent in Western culture that the gods themselves will likely never fade. They will continue to rule over nature and humanity."

Chiron was right; even in his "simple terms," those were rather complex answers. So, the gods weren't just figureheads – they actually controlled the earth, just like the myths said. I took a deep breath. "Okay. So, then, what is this place, exactly?"

"Ah, Camp Half-Blood." I detected a twinkle of pride in his eyes. "This camp serves as both a refuge and a training facility for demigods. You see, I have trained heroes for eons, preparing them for quests and battle. When the gods moved to America, I established this camp as a way of continuing that responsibility."

"So, this is the only camp of its kind, then?"

"Well, there is a Roman camp, Camp Jupiter, in San Francisco, but you will learn about that at a later time. For now, do you have any other questions?"

"Um, yeah, one more thing. My father mentioned that you could help me find out who my mother is. How do you go about that, exactly?"

"Yes, determination. I am somewhat surprised that you were not claimed the moment you stepped foot in camp, for the gods agreed that they would claim their children by age thirteen. However, the gods are finicky. Perhaps once you get settled in, your patron goddess will send a sign of her recognition." I thought I heard a touch of concern in his voice, as if something about my situation troubled him. "Well then, it is getting rather late. Camp curfew will be setting in soon, so we'd better get you to your cabin.

In the twilight, Chiron walked me over to a rectangle of cabins surrounding a field of green. In the center was a hearth, a fire blazing within. As we entered the green, something strange happened – the fire jumped up, as if we had startled it, suddenly burning brighter. If Chiron noticed, he did not acknowledge it.

As we walked across the field, Chiron explained, "There are currently twenty cabins, each representative of a god or goddess. Indefinitely, you will stay in cabin eleven, the Hermes cabin, until you are determined."

We approached a cabin standing at the southwest corner of the rectangle. Many of the cabins were pretty bizarre-looking, but this one looked just like a regular old cabin. Chiron opened the door and led me inside, and whatever activities may have been occurring inside suddenly ceased, everyone staring right at me.

At that moment, I wanted to disappear. I wasn't especially good at interacting with other people, particularly people my age, and to make matters worse, many of these kids had mischievous looks in their eyes. One of these sets of eyes approached us.

"Chiron," the tall, curly-haired boy spoke. "New camper?"

"Yes. Campers, this is Alexey Lebedev, who at the moment is undetermined. Regardless, I expect all of you," – he looked pointedly at a pair of smirking girls sitting at the top of a bunk bed – "to be welcoming to him. Now then, Connor, please show Alexey to his bunk. Alexey, tomorrow morning I will send someone to give you a tour of the camp. Goodnight, everyone."

Connor nodded, and Chiron departed. The door shut and, with my welcoming party gone, I felt a flare of anxiety. Connor turned to me while everyone else went back to what they were doing.

"Hey there, Alexey. I'm Connor Stoll, head counselor of the Hermes cabin," he piped excitedly.

"Hi," I squeaked.

"So, you'll be sleeping in that bunk over there," he stated, pointing to a single twin bed in the very back left corner of the cabin. "You shouldn't be here too long. We hardly ever keep undetermined demigods for much time these days. This place used to be chock-full of unclaimed half-bloods. Thanks to Percy Jackson, though, that isn't the case anymore."

"Percy who?"

"Jackson. He's amazing. You'll probably meet him tomorrow. He and Annabeth actually just got back from their first two semesters of college in New Rome."

"New Rome?"

"Ah, details. You should go get settled, I'm about to call lights out."

I woke up to giggling. _A lot_ of giggling. As I sat up, the giggling increased. Uh oh, I thought. I looked at my feet poking out from underneath my blanket. That's when I realized that my skin was bright pink. Like, all of it. I turned my hands over and began to panic. What was happening? Was this what "claiming" was? Looking up, I saw three girls standing at the foot of my bed, not giggling, but smiling in sadistic triumph. The two girls on either side I recognized from my own cabin; the girl in the center I had not seen before.

"Morning, newbie," the middle one spoke. My eyes shot around the cabin, and I felt my face heat up as I saw people now laughing out loud. If this was the person Chiron had chosen to give me a tour, then I could do without one.

"Wh—what?"

"Knock it off, Lou Ellen," a voice called from the front of the cabin. Two boys about my age stood there, one with shaggy blond hair and tan skin and another with dark, messy locks and, despite the season, very pale skin.

The girl on the left returned, "Aw, come on, Will. We were just welcoming our new friend." As the two walked over, the pale-skinned boy shot them a rather dark look. The girls pursed their lips and, giving in, backed away from my bunk.

The girl on the right began, "If you insist on ruining the fun—"

"We do," the dark-haired one interrupted. Grimacing, the girls finally walked away, muttering things like "killjoy" and "prince of darkness" and "angel of death." Suddenly, my skin was back to normal.

The two boys came over to the right side of my bed; they both wore orange t-shirts that said 'Camp Half-Blood.' The two were quite a pair; they seemed to be complete juxtapositions of one another, like day and night. One smiling, one frowning. One with his arms at his sides, one with his arms crossed. The boy called Will began to speak.

"Hey there! I'm Will Solace, head counselor of the Apollo cabin. This here is Nico di Angelo. He's my 'special guy,' if you will."

Nico di Angelo rolled his eyes and blushed. "I can introduce myself. I'm a son of Hades. Chiron sent us to show you around."

"Well, actually, he only sent me. But this guy here... Can't get rid of him."

" _Actually_ , Will dragged me along. Anyway, get dressed. First we'll go to breakfast—"

"And then we'll give you the grand tour! By the way, pink suits you."

So these two were a thing. That explained the bickering and blushing. It didn't explain how on Earth these two polar opposites came together.

Once I was dressed, they walked me to the Greek pavilion I had seen from my hilltop entrance. The view was fantastic, overlooking the Long Island Sound. As we entered, a few campers sitting at a table at the front waved us over. The three of us sat down on a stone bench, me next to Will and Nico on Will's other side, at the end.

I found myself across from a Latino boy with curly brown hair and a wild look in his eyes (it was a little unnerving when he smiled at me) and a Native American girl whose eyes seemed to change color as the light reflected off of them. Next to me was an older girl with curled blonde hair and intense gray eyes that looked as if they'd seen a lot. "Who's this?" she inquired, examining me.

"Guys, this is Alexey Lebedev," Will introduced. "He arrived yesterday evening with Fletcher Meadows, and I've just decided that from now on he will be sitting with us." They all looked at him as if he'd said this before, but he kept going. "You see, Alexey, you're lucky because if you'd arrived before this summer, you would've been stuck sitting with a bunch of sneaky Hermes kids since back then the cabins each had to sit together. But after Nico and I found a loophole, people started complaining and Chiron dropped the rule. You can thank us later, or right now if you want!"

"Um, thanks," I mumbled.

"Anyway, what are you guys waiting for? Introduce yourselves!"

"We were waiting for you to stop talking," the boy across from me answered. He looked at me, smirked, and greeted, "I'm Leo Valdez. Son of Hephaestus. Let me know if I can fix anything for you." He pulled a wrench from nowhere, twirling it on his finger. It promptly went flying and landed in a plate of eggs that sat in front of another girl sitting next to him, at the end. "Oops. And that's my girlfriend, Calypso." Calypso appeared to be considering knocking him upside the head with her new wrench.

Kaleidoscope-eyes next to him leaned forward, grinning warmly. "I'm Piper McLean, and I'm a daughter of Aphrodite, so you won't have to worry about any flying wrenches coming from me." McLean? That sounded familiar for some reason. Next to her, a boy with short, neatly cropped blond hair and glasses reached across the table and shook my hand.

"I'm Jason Grace. Technically I'm a son of Jupiter, but you probably know him as Zeus." Jupiter? Wasn't that what the Romans called him? The boy had toned arms, one of which had tattoos of some markings, and he gave off a natural kind of air of respectability.

"I'm Annabeth Chase, head counselor of the Athena cabin," spoke the girl next to me. Connor had mentioned her last night. So that must mean…

"And I'm Percy Jackson," said a boy leaning forward from her other side, a relaxed smiling on his face. He had dark hair and shocking sea green eyes. "I'm a son of Poseidon. Who is your parent?"

"Oh, I'm undetermined," I revealed. Percy only nodded, blinking. I was reminded that by now I should probably have been claimed.

Something told me these people had a lot of stories to tell. I bet they had shared many adventures, too, if that's what heroes still did these days. I couldn't help but feel a little out of place at their table despite their warm welcome – like a loser sitting with the popular kids.

All around us, pretty young women walked about the twenty or so tables of the pavilion carrying trays with breakfast foods of all varieties: eggs, bacon, muffins, waffles, even cereal and milk. Annabeth, catching my gaze, explained to me that they were dryads – wood nymphs. In addition to them, winged girls called harpies flew around collecting empty plates.

At the head table, a few yards away from ours, stood Chiron. He looked… tired. Exhausted, even. It was as if he'd aged overnight. In a tall chair next to him sat a girl that must've been Percy and Annabeth's age, with frizzy red hair and a grim look on her face. They were discussing something quietly and, much to my chagrin, occasionally glancing over at me. I wondered what they were saying.

"Who is that next to Chiron?" I asked Annabeth quietly.

Looking over at the head table, she replied, "Oh, that's Rachel Dare." The way she said it made it sound like she wasn't particularly fond of the girl. I decided not to ask. "She's our oracle – she carries the spirit of Delphi. I wouldn't recommend talking to her unless you want a quest thrown your way."

"Quests? You don't like them?"

"Well, I mean, some people like them – it's honorable to be chosen for a quest and all that – but I think I've had more than my fair share, honestly. Many of us have." She motioned to the others. So I was right; this was a seasoned bunch. My shoulders slumped a little.

"So, Alexey," Piper addressed, drawing my attention, "where are you from?" Everyone looked at me, waiting for an answer.

"I'm from Little Odessa, or, well, Brighton Beach, in Brooklyn," I stammered. "If you're wondering about my name, though, my father immigrated from Russia."

"Russia? Don't let me find out you snuck any vodka into the camp," Leo quipped. Piper slapped his arm playfully. I smiled at the exchange. Even if these guys were probably out of my league, I had already taken a liking to them, and I felt myself perk up a little.

A nymph lay down a plate of breakfast in front of me, but as she walked away, I realized she hadn't filled my chalice. "So, uh… Do I have to ask for a drink?" I inquired of no one in particular.

"Oh!" Piper chuckled. "Just say the name of any drink you want, and it'll fill up with that. Plus, it'll never run out. I don't suggest knocking it over." The group laughed at that. Piper must've been good with people.

"Oh, okay. Um," I considered for a moment. " _Café_ _au lait_." Sure enough, the chalice swirled with tan, steaming liquid. It was amazing, to be frank.

"Good choice. You might need it, sleepy-head," Will chided. I grinned and dug in.

After breakfast, Will, Nico, and I departed, and they showed me all around the camp. It seemed that a lot was expected of young demigods; the camp had the climbing wall with lava, an armory, a forge (where demigods themselves shaped weapons and armor), an archery range, and even a combat arena. At the arena, I was introduced to an overwhelmingly large and friendly, pitch-black dog called a hellhound. Her name, appropriately enough, was Mrs. O'Leary. And nearby, I got to see real-life pegasi at the stables.

They took me as far as the thick forest in the west, Nico stating ominously that I'd get a good look inside on Friday. Will clarified that he was referring to the weekly game of Capture the Flag. Today was Wednesday. That meant I had only two days to prepare. Before I could begin to freak out, they dragged me all the way back across camp to the hill where I had arrived.

"I thought we'd bring you here last because it's the most interesting place in camp, in my opinion. It sort of represents some of the wildest things that have happened and been done by people here. We call this hill Half-Blood Hill. Almost all demigods get their first look of the camp from here."

"I didn't," Nico interjected. "My first view was from the sky. That is, until we crashed Apollo's chariot into the lake." I didn't push for any further details on that.

Will pointed at the pine tree that loomed at the very top. "That's Thalia's Pine. It marks the border of the camp. Thalia Grace, Jason Grace's sister, is a daughter of Zeus, and she's a Hunter of Artemis. But for years, her soul was sealed within that tree." Nico yawned. Will gave him a side-eyed glare. "You see, about eleven years ago, Annabeth, Thalia, and Luke Castellan showed up at Camp Half-Blood. Except, Thalia didn't really make it. She was overtaken by monsters. Fortunately, Zeus took pity on her and turned her into this tree." Real fortunate, I thought.

"Then, after Percy Jackson arrived five or so years later, Luke poisoned the tree to weaken the border's magical protection. He was under the influence of Kronos, king of the Titans – long story. But then, Percy, Annabeth, Grover Underwood, and Clarisse La Rue went on this big quest in the Sea of Monsters – the Bermuda Triangle – to recover the Golden Fleece that you see hanging on the tree now. They knew it would heal the tree, but what they didn't know is that it would bring Thalia back to life."

I now at least had some perspective on what Annabeth had been talking about. I couldn't imagine doing that stuff. "Wow. That's… a lot. You really know your stuff. So what about the dragon underneath the tree?"

"Oh, that's Peleus. He was raised by Chiron and Argus to protect the Golden Fleece." I glanced from the dragon to the giant womanly statue, bracing myself in case it started talking. Or maybe the dragon would start talking first. Maybe the two would have a conversation. I had no idea what to expect anymore.

"So then, I'm sure you're wondering about that statue."

"Yeah, I was, actually. I had a dr— ah, never mind. Go ahead." I hadn't been careful enough; Nico sent a look my way, obviously figuring out what I had been about to say. Luckily, he didn't mention it.

"That's the Athena Parthenos. I don't know if you've heard of it, but basically it's this giant statue that was carved by the ancient sculptor Phidias, and it was placed in the Parthenon. Then, when the Romans invaded Greece, they stole the Parthenos, and for eons it went missing. Not even the later Romans knew what happened to it. Regardless, the loss of the statue really sort of killed morale in Greece, and that was what the Romans were really after.

"So every generation, Athena would send the best of her children on a quest to recover her statue, but they all failed. Except for Annabeth, of course. She's so smart. But then, she didn't really have a way to bring it back here because she was already on another quest with the Seven, so Nico here shadow-travelled it all the way back here. Pretty great, isn't he?" Will concluded, grinning at his boyfriend. Nico allowed a small smile.

"Yeah, that's cool." Whatever shadow-travelling was. It sounded scary. "But what is the Seven?"

"Oh, right. I forget that you know literally nothing, haha." I grimaced, blushing. "No, don't be embarrassed! We all knew nothing at some point. Anyway, the Seven were seven demigods chosen to fulfill the Prophecy of the Seven. They were Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, and Leo, plus Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang from Camp Jupiter. Maybe you'll get the chance to meet them some time – they're really cool. But basically the Seven had to stop Gaea, primordial goddess of the earth, from destroying everything. Needless to say, they succeeded."

So even Jason, Leo, and Piper were the real deal. I would bet all the tips I made working at Vasily's – even though that wasn't very much – that there was a lot more to all of these stories than what was included in Will's summaries.

At that moment, a horn blew in the distance.

"Time for lunch!" Will cried excitedly.

We found ourselves at the same table in the same seats. This time, though, at least I knew more about the people I was sitting with. Grilled burgers were on the menu, which I found pleasing, but I noticed that Piper was eating a veggie burger.

"You're a vegetarian?" I blurted. "I— I mean, sorry, that was rude. It's none of my business."

Piper gave me a friendly smile in return. "No, that's okay! Yes, I am."

"That's cool. I've thought about doing it…"

"Awesome! You should! I can help you." She seemed very excited by the prospect; it made me feel good that she would do that for me.

"Uh oh. Looks like Piper has recruited you. I'd back out now if you ever want to taste meat again," Leo butted in. Calypso snickered next to him.

"Shut up, Leo! He can do what he wants. Don't pressure him," Piper defended.

"Don't pressure him? You're one to talk!" Piper slapped his arm, but a grin was cracking her façade of anger. The two abruptly started laughing, and the rest of the table joined in.

For the second time that day, the two made me smile. These spats were probably a regular thing for them, like they were siblings. That's what it felt like they all were – a family. I only hoped I wasn't overstaying my welcome.

"Hey, Alexey," Percy began. "So, Annabeth and I were talking, and since you're new and all, we were wondering if you'd be up for some swordfighting lessons after lunch. It's a good place to start for a newly-realized demigod – self-defense." They had talked about me?

"Uh, sure. But I don't really have a sword or anything."

"That's what the armory is for! We'll find one that's just right for you." Truthfully, I didn't think there _was_ a sword that was just right for me, because I never thought that, in my life, I would ever need one. But then again, it would be nice to get some training before my sure death on Friday.

"Alright then."

"When they're through with you, I can teach you some Roman tricks!" Jason called.

"Yeah, and then I can fit you for some self-repairing armor I've been trying to perfect," Leo added.

"After that, I can teach you a thing or two about healing," Will chimed in.

"See? We don't bite," Piper concluded with a crooked grin. All of this attention was a little overwhelming, but it made me feel warm inside. Maybe, just maybe, I could fit in here.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Thanks to my new friends, my afternoon was totally booked. Not that I minded. I learned more than I felt like I ever had in school. Percy and Annabeth, and later Jason and Piper, showed me the sword fighting basics, from defense positions to grappling. Then, over at the forge, I met Leo, and he sized me for a custom suit of armor of what I had learned was called Celestial bronze. As he worked, he explained in extreme detail many things that I could not comprehend about the functions of the mechanisms. And after that, as promised, Will taught me some pointers in healing, saying "These are things every demigod should know – not just children of Apollo."

By dinner, I was pooped, but I definitely felt much better about being here, being a _demigod_. Perhaps my prospects weren't so bad, after all, and I could finally shake the bad feeling I had. My mood bright, I sat with my friends, and noticed that the table was lined with platters of barbecue, bread, potato salad, and more. And at the center of the pavilion, a fire was lit, where campers had gathered, throwing food right into it.

"What are they doing?" I asked.

"They're burning offerings for their parents. We thought we'd wait for you so you'd know what was going on. The rule is, you're supposed to offer the best portion of your food. Apparently, the gods like the smell," Annabeth explained. I grinned knowing they'd waited up on me. And even though Annabeth had probably said those words to new campers dozens of times, she didn't sound dismissive in the slightest.

The nine of us fixed our plates and walked over to the fire. I chose a large, nicely charred piece of sausage and chunked it into the fire. Here you go, mom, whoever you are, I thought.

"Not many people know this," Percy spoke, throwing in his own portion, "but a small piece of every offering actually goes to Hestia, in tribute to her title as Goddess of the Hearth." He sounded fond of the goddess; he'd probably even met her at some point.

"That's cool. Maybe she's my mother," I mentioned passively.

"Ah, well, probably not. She took an oath of maidenhood."

"Oh. Yeah, probably not, then," I answered as we walked back to the table and sat down. Everyone was silent for a little while, enjoying the meal. After a while, Piper spoke up.

"So what did you think of your first day at Camp Half-Blood? How do you feel?"

"I feel… better. More comfortable for sure. These past couple days have been a rollercoaster. But, by the way, thanks to you guys for showing me around and teaching me stuff and all," I replied, feeling a little awkward.

"It was our pleasure!" Will exclaimed, making me jump. "But the day's not over yet. After this is the sing-along around the campfire!" Nico groaned, and Will looked over at him. "Oh come on. You know you love it."

And sing we did. The Apollo cabin led us in several verses of a song called "How Many Heads Can a Hydra Have?" The campfire was spectacular. Leo explained to me that it responded to the overall mood of the campers. Tonight, people were evidently already getting excited for the upcoming Capture the Flag game, because the fire rose into the air colored brilliant gold. As the night went on, we roasted marshmallows and laughed and danced.

From my seat in the amphitheater, I spotted a boy with dark hair styled in an undercut. The light danced around the handsome Arabian features of his face – even from where I was sitting, I could clearly make out the rich caramel of his skin and the brilliant hue of his hazel eyes reflecting the fire. Suddenly, he looked over and met my gaze. Piper, sitting next to me, traced my line of sight and frowned. I quickly turned my attention to her, blushing, as she spoke.

"I'd be careful with him, Alexey. That's Oliver Bishara, a son of Nemesis. The cabin sixteen kids aren't bad, but I can't say that my experiences with them have been wholly good, either. Just, don't cross them."

 _Be careful with him_? What did she mean by that? It wasn't like I intended to even talk to him, much less do anything to make him angry. Still, she was probably right, whatever she'd thought was going through my mind. I knew that Nemesis was the goddess of revenge, and I knew that I didn't want a demigod bounty on my head.

Chiron stomped his hoof on the marble floor of the theater. "Alright, campers! Time to head to your cabins. As a reminder, the harpies will be patrolling once curfew sets in at eleven as always, so please be mindful," he announced.

We all stood up, dusting ourselves off. Unexpectedly, Piper gave me a hug. "Welcome again. We're glad you're here." We dispersed, and I began my walk to cabin eleven, but someone caught my arm. I spun around to find none other than Oliver Bishara standing before me. He was a little taller than me, maybe a year older, so I looked up slightly to meet his gaze; his expression betrayed curiosity. I was on guard after what Piper had told me.

"Hey. You're that new camper, right? Alex?" he greeted in a friendly tone of voice.

"Ah, it's Alexey, actually. Alexey Lebedev. And you are?"

"Oh, my apologies. My name is Oliver Bishara. I'm a son of Nemesis." He frowned. "Don't let that throw you off, though. I won't try to get even with you if you accidentally trip me or anything like that."

I chuckled, "No judgment. At least you know who your mother is."

"Ha, yeah… I heard you were still undetermined. Not that there's anything wrong with that!" he recovered. I relaxed a little.

"Yeah… So, uh, did you need anything?" I stammered awkwardly.

"Oh, no, I just wanted to meet you! That's all, really." Was he blushing?

"Oh, okay. Well, nice to meet you then, Oliver." I smiled.

"Yeah, you too. Um, can I walk you back to your cabin?"

"Oh, sure!"

We started walking to the Hermes cabin, slowly. I could feel my heart beating faster than normal. I kept my eyes trained on the ground and shoved my hands into my pockets, kind of afraid to speak.

"So, Lebedev. Is that Russian?" The way he enunciated his words was very proper – almost dignified.

"Yeah. My dad came from there."

"Cool. My grandparents came from Saudi Arabia."

"That's interesting. Where are you from?"

"My dad and I live in Chicago. He's a businessman with some big company there. As far as he knows, I'm just at a regular summer camp." So Oliver's father didn't even know what he was. Maybe they weren't close.

"I see. We live in Brooklyn. My dad's a journalist," I replied.

"That's really cool! I've always wanted to do something like that, to really go out and see things that are actually happening. The office isn't for me, I guess. Good thing I'm a half-blood." We arrived in front of the Hermes cabin. "So, I suppose I'll see you around."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

That night, I couldn't seem to get to sleep. Too many thoughts were swirling around in my head – good and bad. I was glad that I had managed to make friends on my first day, and I had already learned so much. But, my guilt for leaving Papa had not gone away. I wondered what he was doing right now, whether he was sleeping or if he was up thinking about me. He'd no doubt had dinner alone. I felt tears sting my eyes. Letting go of my thoughts, I fell asleep and was welcomed by more dreams.

I was lying in my bunk, facing up, eyes wide as I saw the face of the Athena Parthenos standing overhead. Apparently she had ripped the roof right off cabin eleven. Staring down at me, she began speaking in the same scornful voice as before.

"You will not find a family here. I do not welcome you here. My children do not welcome you here. When you are determined, not just the camp but Olympus itself will fall to chaos. Unless you wish to suffer the wrath of the gods, you will LEAVE." She promptly slammed the roof back onto the cabin, and the room went dark as I heard her footsteps booming back up to Half-Blood Hill.

The next morning, I woke up feeling jarred. I had no idea what to make of the dream I'd had. The Athena Parthenos had once again reserved some less-than-welcoming words for me. It had to mean something; I needed to talk to Annabeth, alone. Fortunately, the first activity of the day for the Hermes kids after breakfast was Ancient Greek lessons with the demigod of wisdom herself.

As interesting as the language was, I could hardly pay attention, anxious to speak with Annabeth. As soon she released us from the lesson, I approached her.

"Hey, Annabeth, could I talk to you?" She fixed onto me with those stormy gray eyes, and they seemed to sap my confidence. Had my dreams really meant anything? Still, I knew I needed to discuss them.

"Yeah, of course, Alexey. What's up?"

"Well… I don't think your mother wants me here." I explained the dreams I'd had. When I was finished, Annabeth knitted her eyebrows.

"That doesn't seem very Athena-like. Usually everything she does is very calculated. I doubt she'd do anything as rash as pressure a demigod to leave Camp Half-Blood. Still, you're right that the dreams could mean something – for half-bloods, they often do. After lunch, let's take this up with Chiron."

The rest of the morning proceeded normally. Sparring lessons with Percy (everyone was extra rowdy with Capture the Flag on the horizon) followed by monster studies Chiron. Lunch came and went, and then Annabeth and I were standing at the door of the Big House. She walked in, and I followed behind her to the living room. Chiron was there, reading some tome labelled _Studies in Ancient Mystery Rituals_. Seeing us, he shut the book and placed it on the coffee table.

"Annabeth, Alexey. To what do I owe this pleasure?" The two of us took a seat on one of the couches, and Annabeth nodded at me. I recounted my dreams to Chiron.

Trouble crossed his face, as if he were having a debate with himself in his mind. It reminded me of the concern I'd heard in his voice a few nights ago when I'd first arrived, when we discussed my determination. Could my claiming really send both Camp Half-Blood and Olympus into chaos? Did my dream have any merit to it? Judging by Chiron's demeanor, it might.

"Well… I'm not sure what to make of that. I cannot imagine why the goddess Athena, or why any goddess for that matter, would intrude upon your dreams. Perhaps you simply have a subconscious fear of the Parthenos." But I could hear the doubt in his voice.

"Chiron, I find it unlikely that this means nothing. Is there something you're not telling us?" Annabeth pushed.

"Annabeth," Chiron sighed, "I assure you that, if a threat became clearly imminent, you would be of the first to know. However, no such threat has revealed itself. Now, you both have afternoon activities to get to, do you not?" Annabeth huffed – she obviously didn't buy that.

Walking back to camp, I looked over at Annabeth. I could practically see gears turning in her head.

I asked, "What did you think of that?"

"I think Chiron is hiding something. I've known him long enough to be able tell when something is going on. But I also know that Chiron is very wise. As much as I hate it, whatever is happening, we may just have to let it play out until there is something we can do." That didn't sit well with me, either. I had the feeling that whatever was bothering Chiron might have been connected to my dreams.

The next day, at dinner, everyone was practically vibrating with enthusiasm at the upcoming game. Even Nico di Angelo seemed more animated than usual, and Calypso wore a Greek-inspired cheerleader uniform. We ate quickly and cleared our table, and then Annabeth pulled out a map, spreading it across the white tablecloth. It was a map of the forest. I noticed that Connor Stoll had joined our table, and together we all studied the map carefully.

"Okay, guys," Annabeth began, "here's the game plan. Alexey, just so you know, tonight's match is Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Hades against everyone else: Demeter, Ares, Dionysus, Iris, Hypnos, Nemesis, Nike, Hebe, Tyche, and Hecate. Percy and I will be co-captaining the blue team in the south against the red team in the north, led by Lou Ellen, counselor of the Hecate cabin. They've got some serious magic and luck on their side with the Hecate and Tyche kids, but I think we can outsmart them this time. Here's what's going to happen.

"Nico and Jason, I want you two guarding the flag, which will hang on the door of Bunker Nine. I want the other team stopped at all costs." She eyed Nico.

"Gotcha," he replied, understanding whatever she was referring to – some dark Hades-esque stuff, no doubt.

"Then Percy, I want you stationed at the creek with the Hephaestus and Aphrodite cabins. Leo, I want you on trap duty. Have your campers set as many as possible. Piper, stagger your best charmspeakers along the stream. The rest will serve as combat defense. Will, the Apollo campers will command the trees – let it rain on the red team. Rubber-tipped arrows, of course." Will smirked at that, giving me reason to believe that that instruction had a good chance of being overlooked.

"Finally, Connor, our cabins will be divided into two groups. The first group will be hidden throughout the southern woods, ready to ambush the other team's scouts. The best offense is a good defense. The second group will be split into three scouting squads – one led by me, one led by you, and the third led by Malcolm Pace, my second-in-command. Everyone good to go?"

"Yup!" everyone cheered. As soon as the consultation ended, campers from each team appeared in the dining pavilion, running around with ten-foot-long flags. Ours was painted gray and blue, with the image of a barn owl perched on a trident. The other flag was a shimmering royal purple, a gray cross intersected by a pair of torches painted on it. All the campers whooped and hooted and yelled, banging on the tables.

Chiron stomped his hoof, and everyone fell silent. "Heroes!" he bellowed. "Tonight's match will be Hecate and her allies against Athena, Poseidon, and their allies! Please remember to keep it clean – no maiming, and especially no killing. May your patron god be in your favor. Arm yourselves!"

Chiron opened his arms, and the tables of the pavilion were suddenly covered in armor, weapons, tools, supplies, and numerous other items I couldn't name. I suited up and grabbed a Celestial bronze _xiphos_ and, on second thought, a large, round studded wooden shield as well. Wearing a helmet with a bright blue plume might have felt silly under usual circumstances, but we were all fired up.

"Blue team! Advance!" Annabeth cried. All the blue plumes in the pavilion marched down a path and into the southern forest. In just a few minutes, everyone was organized and in their place. I had been placed in Annabeth's scouting squad, something that I found somewhat thrilling. After all that intricate planning, I couldn't wait to see her in action.

"Now," Annabeth spoke in a hushed voice, "the aim of the game is stealth. As soon as we cross the creek, we have to be quick and quiet. If someone attacks, Alexey, that shield will come in handy. Good choice." I nodded, accepting her praise. "Anyway, we will be scouting the most northeastern portion of the woods. The flags are supposed to be mounted in a prominent fashion, but I have a feeling the red team will set theirs up as far in as possible. They know who they're up against," she concluded, a smug look on her face.

Our squad then crossed the creek into enemy territory. All of my senses heightened. I heard every sound, registered every small movement. It was as if someone in my head had flipped on a _combat_ switch. It felt all but euphoric, to tell the truth.

We snuck along, heading northeast if Annabeth's sense of direction was to be trusted – which it was. In the distance, the sound of metal clashing against metal reverberated through the forest.

"Sounds like squad two was intercepted. I imagine it's only a matter of time—"

Without warning, half a dozen armed demigods with red feathers spouting from their heads charged from every direction. This was my first true test in the field of combat; I couldn't let my team down. A Nike kid charged at me, a wild look in his eyes, and I readied my sword and shield.

We both screamed as our blades met, sending a vicious _clang_ into the air. He swept, I parried. I thrusted, he dodged. I thought about something Percy had told me.

 _In battle, you have to turn your defense into an attack, before your opponent has a chance to defend. You have to be twice as fast. Look for an opening, trust yourself, and strike._

I took this advice, quickly following a head defense with a lightning-fast slash to his ribs, smashing my blade against the son of Nike's armor. He hunched to the side in pain, and I rammed him with my shield. The red team demigod crumpled to the ground. I stood over him for a moment, feeling immensely pleased. Then, I realized, _battle._ I ran to Annabeth's side and joined her brawl against two buff kids from the Ares cabin.

"Alexey! That was amazing!" she cried over the sound of sword-against-armor.

"Thanks!" I called back. In a few moments, the Ares kids were down, along with the other three red team defenders. Our squad was unscathed. We continued on, not taking too much time to celebrate – the battle may have been won, but the war was still undecided.

After a little while longer walking, the woods thinned out, and I could hear the sounds of crashing waves of the Long Island Sound. Ahead, I caught a glimmer of purple.

"There!" I whisper-yelled. We ran forward, attacking and quickly taking down the two guards. The flag waved before us, hung between two trees.

"Alexey, I think you should do the honors. You took down two guys in that ambush." I grinned from ear to ear, feeling on top of the world. However, as I grabbed the flag, I came right back down. It vanished into thin air. I gawked at my outstretched hand, where the flag of Hecate had just been.

"Gotcha," gloated a voice from behind us. Our squad whirled around to find we were surrounded by a dozen red team soldiers, including Lou Ellen and the Ares head counselor called Brandon Hamilton.

Annabeth cursed. "It was a trap. They manipulated the Mist." As the ambushers slowly closed around us, she leaned down and whispered into my ear, "When I say 'go,' I want you to take off and head west, toward where squad two was intercepted. Look for a fist-shaped pile of boulders, Zeus's Fist – the flag should be there. The area will be heavily guarded, but it's our only chance. I believe in you, Alexey."

No sooner had she finished speaking than we jumped into combat, outnumbered two-to-one. My eyes shot back and forth as I deflected twice the number of attacks I was used to. I felt myself wearing down. As they began to overwhelm me, I went into my mind and thought – no, I supposed I _prayed_.

 _Mother, please help me. Give me the strength to resolve this conflict._

All of a sudden, my shield felt weightless in my hand. My senses recovered, and adrenaline pumped through my veins. My core felt as though it had been set ablaze, like a warm fireplace. At that moment, Annabeth shouted, "Go!"

I knocked both of my attackers in the head with my sword and then shoved past them with my shield and took off west, running faster than I ever had in my life. I could swear, though, that I heard footsteps trailing me. Was I being pursued?

I risked a glimpse over my shoulder, and my question was answered. Brandon had taken chase. I knew I had to take care of him; I couldn't allow him to give away my position when I approached the site of the red team's flag. I halted and spun around, immediately aiming the point of my blade straight at his throat. He stopped abruptly, nearly impaling himself on my sword. When our eyes met, his lips twisted into a wicked grin.

"Not one to be run down, are you? That's fine, we can fight. But you'll lose," he snarled. I remained silent, staring him down. "Besides… you're going the wrong way. Our flag is farther south. Regardless, you'll have to get through—"

He did not finish his statement because I smashed my shield over his head. I didn't have times for anymore tricks. Somehow, in my current state, I _knew_ he was lying, without a doubt. I just knew. I smirked as he groaned, gripping his helmet, and darted off to the west once more.

Shortly, I came upon a clearing, with what appeared to be Zeus's Fist in the center, the Hecate flag hung from a protruding rock. There were at least seven guards posted there. It was against the rules to have more than two people guarding the flag, but I had a feeling the red team didn't care. That suited me just fine. I sprinted between two of the half-bloods like a bolt of lightning, jumped up and snatched the flag as I passed the boulders, and dashed out of the other side of the clearing before any of them even had time to react.

As I redirected my path to southwest toward the Zephyros Creek, I heard shouts behind me. The fire in my core was dying, and I was beginning to slow down, fatigue quickly setting in. I heard the voices getting closer. Still I forced myself to run, spotting the stream ahead of me.

I jumped to the right as a spear flew past me from behind – the red warriors showed no signs of letting up. Another spear soared over my head, and I leaped over it as it sunk into the ground in front of me. Finally, I reached the stream. The moment my foot hit the water, I felt a blade nick my shoulder, but it was enough to throw my balance off and send me hurtling into the water. At the same time, I heard Will's voice call "FIRE!" from the branches overhead. I heard a flurry of arrows fly over me and meet their unsuspecting targets, followed by bodies crashing onto the ground, one right on top of me.

The hilt of the unconscious demigod's sword bashed my helmet, and suddenly I was seeing stars. I fought to literally keep my head above the water, and, mustering the last of my strength, I pushed my armored opponent off me. Staggering back up to my feet, I held fast to the flag, and trudged the rest of the way to the other side of the creek and into home territory.

Everyone in the vicinity burst into cheers. The Apollo guys jumped down from their branches, calling my name. Will appeared before me, wearing a huge grin. However, his grin turned to confusion and then urgency as he witnessed me drop the flag, sway for a moment, and then black out.

I woke up in the infirmary, staring up at the worried faces of my friends. My head was throbbing, and my legs and arms were sore as all get-out.

"He's awake!" Piper exclaimed. There were smiles of relief.

"Alexey," Will said, putting a wet rag over my forehead, "you overexerted yourself. You passed out as soon as you got the flag across."

"Which by the way, was amazing," Annabeth mentioned, smiling.

"Yeah, dude, that was crazy," Leo added.

"Okay guys, give him some space," Will complained. "Alexey, do you remember what happened before you went under?"

My memories between the ambush and the blue team's victory were blurry. I remembered hitting a guy with my shield, the feeling of fire in my stomach, the cold splash as I hit the water… I recounted everything I could to the group. They looked vexed when I recalled the sudden burst of energy I'd had.

"You said it felt like you were on fire? That sounds like Hephaestus, but… Your dad wouldn't…?" Percy trailed off.

I blushed furiously. Will and Nico exchanged an annoyed glance. "Uh, no, I don't think so," I muttered. Leo coughed awkwardly. "And I know nothing about building or inventing stuff."

"You said it happened after we got ambushed?" Annabeth asked. "I bet you could be a son of Nemesis. They call her the Goddess of Revenge, but more specifically she controls balance. She both enacts retribution for bad deeds and takes away from undeserved rewards. Maybe since the red team was playing dirty, she blessed you with the strength to keep going."

It made sense, but it definitely made me feel uneasy. Revenge? That wasn't really something I was into. I imagined myself holding a guy at gunpoint for lookin' at me wrong. Not my style.

"Uh, maybe…"

"I'm surprised he wasn't claimed then and there," Leo interrupted.

"Yeah, Leo, I'm sure that makes him feel way better," Piper countered.

"So, how long was I asleep for?" I warily inquired.

"Through the night and all morning. It's about noon now. Which means, you all should be getting to lunch," Will said, glaring at everyone else, who murmured things like 'fine' and 'alright.'

"Feel better, Alexey," Piper called as they filed out. I smiled and waved in return.

Nico had stayed behind, and Will turned to him. "You go ahead. I'll catch up in a bit, okay?" Will grabbed his hand. "I just want to tend to him for a bit."

Nico looked to me, and then back at Will. "Okay." Will kissed his cheek, and Nico did something that shocked me. He walked into the shadows of a corner and vanished into them, as if they had risen up and swallowed him.

Will narrowed his eyes. "He knows I hate when he does that. It tires him out more than he lets on. I'll have to deal with that later, though. How are you feeling?"

"Sore. And my head is throbbing."

"Yeah, you took a nasty hit from that guy's sword. But I heard you handed some out as well."

"Oh, you heard that?" I grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, your acts of valor spread around the camp like wildfire. For better or for worse, you've got a reputation now." My grin wavered – I didn't know how to feel about that. "Don't sweat it, though. People like Lou Ellen shouldn't give you a hard time anymore. Here, drink this."

He handed me a tall glass of what looked like apple juice with a straw sticking out. I took it and drank, and was surprised by the taste. It wasn't apple juice at all – it tasted like the Prague cake Papa would make only for the most special of occasions. I downed the whole thing and instantly felt better.

"What is this stuff?" I asked, out of breath.

"It's nectar. Normally the gods drink it, but for demigods it has divine healing properties. And if you were fully mortal, it would incinerate your insides, but that's irrelevant." He chuckled to himself. "Feel up to lunch?"

"Yeah, lunch sounds nice."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After lunch, however, was not nice. On my way to do some training at the arena, Brandon Hamilton grabbed me and yanked me behind the stables, shoving me against the wall.

"Listen, you unclaimed brat. If you think you've bested me, think again. Next time around, you won't be so lucky. You messed with the wrong son of Ares, Lebedev." His face was bright red, his big nose flaring at his hairy nostrils.

"Hey!" somebody shouted from behind him. I peered around Brandon's large shoulder to see Oliver Bishara running up, his expression livid. Brandon turned, and his eyes went wide. He let me go, and shot me a black look. Then he sucker punched me right in the gut, sending me to my knees clutching my stomach, and took off.

"Are you okay?" Oliver cried as he ran up to me, kneeling down and gripping my shoulders. I couldn't breathe; Brandon had knocked the air right out of me. Oliver growled, "I'm gonna get him for this."

"Don't— bother…" I stammered, attempting to even out my breathing as he helped me to my feet. I looked up to see that Oliver's eyes were still laced with fury. "Oliver, please. I can handle it on my own. I'll deal with it."

He began to calm down, taking a step back from me. "Alright. Alright. Really though, are you okay? I know you just got out of the infirmary and all…"

"Ah, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little shaken up." I looked at the ground, feeling embarrassed that Oliver had witnessed the incident at all.

"I meant to stop by, by the way. I just— I was busy," he concluded, speaking quickly.

"Oh, that's okay. I was unconscious most of the time anyway. I actually just woke up a little while ago."

"Oh, okay. So, I heard you went a little wild during Capture the Flag. They said you were like a _nike_ hyped up on three pots of coffee."

My face flushed. "They did? Well that's… I mean, I was okay."

Oliver smirked. "Yeah, I'm sure. Hey, so uh, do you wanna do some training together?"

"Yeah! I was just on my way to the arena."

I quickly learned that Oliver was a very good swordsman, and he did not feel inclined to go easy on me just because I was new. By the time we finished, I was left exhausted with nicks and bruises all over the place. Soaked with sweat, we walked over to the canoe lake and sat on the pier.

Wiping my forehead, I said, "That was really something. You kicked my butt."

He laughed. "You weren't bad yourself. I was kind of afraid you were gonna go crazy on me. Thanks for sparing me."

"Well, I didn't really want yet another demigod coming after me with a vendetta," I jabbed. He punched me in the arm, and I playfully yelled, "Ow!"

"So, I wanna know more about you." Oliver prompted. "What was your life like before you came here?"

I looked down at the water, immediately thinking of my father. "Um, it was okay. Pretty average, I guess. My dad and I live in a condo in Brighton Beach. It's at the southern tip of Brooklyn. I worked at this terrible Russian restaurant. Literally we got maybe five customers a day. I don't know how they paid me." I giggled, remembering all the customers who had complained about their food or the smell or any of the other things there were to complain about.

He smiled somewhat wanly. "That sounds nice. You and your father get along well?"

"Yeah, we do. He's my best friend. He's all I have…" Guilt. There it was. "Uh, so what about you? What was life like in Chicago?"

"It was okay. My father and I live in a high-rise downtown. But he wasn't around much, always working or whatever." He wore a strained expression. "When I found out I was a demigod and told him I wanted to go to a summer camp, he didn't ask any questions. He bought my plane ticket, and I left. When August came that year, I told him I wanted to go to boarding school in New York City. He said yes without a second thought. Now I stay here year-round."

"I'm sorry," I told him, putting my hand on his shoulder. He looked at me, and for a brief moment I could see the pain in his eyes.

He ducked his head, forcing a smile. "It's cool. It doesn't really bother me," he lied.

Chiron's conch horn blew in the distance, signifying dinner. We stood up and walked back together, hands in our pockets.

When we got to the pavilion, he said, "See you at the campfire?"

"Yeah. See ya." I waved shyly.

I walked over to my table, and Piper was giving me a look that said, _we need to talk later_. I gave my best shot at an innocent smile, but I knew there'd be no fooling her.

"So, Alexey. How was your afternoon?" she prodded, smiling. The others focused their attention on us.

"Oh, uh, it was fine."

"You definitely seem to be feeling better." Next to her, Jason chuckled.

I went red. "Yeah, I am. Uh, I'm gonna go make my offering."

I stood up and walked over to the fire with a plate of Korean barbecue. When I scraped a large cut of beef into the fire, though, something strange happened; I felt the fiery sensation in the pit of my stomach yet again. It warmed up my entire body, and for some reason I felt… very at peace. It was pleasant – as though some part of me had been restored. I felt confident that any problems I had could be fixed.

Was this some sort of sign from my mother? Maybe she was reassuring me that I would be claimed soon. It was something, at least. With a smile on my face, I practically floated back to the table. Dinner, from there, went well. We talked about nice things. We gossiped. We made jokes. It ended, as always, with Chiron stomping his foot declaring that it was time to gather around the campfire.

On the walk over, Piper ran up behind me and laced her arm with mine.

"Spill," she demanded.

"What are you talking about?" I feigned, staring at the ground.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. What I wanted to ask earlier was, how was your afternoon with _Oliver_?"

I smiled. "It was fine. We did some combat training." I blushed. "And we sat on the pier and talked for a while." She _ooh_ 'd at that.

"Well then, what do you think of him?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know… Do you like him?

"I—" I looked over at her, flustered. "I— I don't know what to say. I mean, he's a cool person. I don't know." I shook my head quickly.

She placed her other hand on my arm. "Alexey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's… It's fine."

We reached the amphitheater, where Chiron was speaking with Percy and Annabeth. As we approached, we caught the end of what Chiron was saying.

"…so I'll need you two to reside over the campfire activities tonight. If anything goes awry, I'll be in the Big House." He glanced at me, then trotted off.

Piper asked, "What's going on?"

Percy and Annabeth looked at us cautiously.

"Um," Annabeth stumbled, exchanging a look with Percy, "Chiron just has some things to attend to. Regulatory stuff, with Olympus. Iris messages to make. We'll be overseeing the campfire for the night."

"Oh," Piper replied, knitting her eyebrows. I had to admit, Annabeth, for once, had not been too convincing.

The rest of the night went normally enough; the campers had a lot of respect for Annabeth and Percy. Toward the end of the night, though, things did go awry.

During a moment alone, I had been staring into the fire from a few yards away, mindlessly watching the flames as they jumped around waywardly, until someone grasped my shoulder and spun me around. I was looking into the eyes of Brandon Hamilton standing over me, much too close for comfort. My eyes went wide.

"Do you need something?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah. I need you to try to keep from crying when I kick your butt."

"Listen, I think this was settled before it even started, when I took you down in the woods."

His face got all red, and he shouted, "You know what? I was gonna wait until the next Capture the Flag match, but since you said that I'll save you the wait!" He shoved me, hard, toward the fire; I nearly fell backward.

"Dude, what the hell is your problem?" I shouted back. People had begun to notice, gathering around us.

"My problem? You're sixteen years old and you haven't even been claimed yet! But you have some crazy magic boost of strength in the forest, even though your mother probably doesn't even know you exist? How are we supposed to believe you're even a demigod?" Brandon spat. "What if you're a spy sent by some monster?"

I could sense the uneasiness of the crowd, the flame of the campfire flickering to a low, colorless gray, as they considered the idea. I winced, stuttering, "I—I…"

"Back off, Brandon. You don't know what you're talking about," Will Solace called out. Still, though, Brandon inched closer and closer, backing me against the rim of the fire pit. Sweat dripped down my back as the heat radiated onto me.

Suddenly, Brandon unsheathed a dagger. A number of things happened in the moment that proceeded.

The campfire roared, shooting up into the air, tinted bright pink. At the same time, the ring of campers split up as a crack formed in the earth and skeletal warriors began to surface, grabbing and restraining a struggling Brandon Hamilton. As I registered this flurry of events, I also noticed that my body had begun to glow with a deep, warm orange aura. Evidently a few others noticed as well, as I heard a rally of gasps among the campers. Staring at the gathering, I realized they weren't regarding my newly iridescent skin but instead were gawking at something just above me. Slowly, fearfully, I looked up.

Floating above me was a holographic image: a small pile of firewood, burning with a crackling fire the same shade as my aura. Brandon stopped struggling. The skeletons crumbled to dust. Silence fell over the crowd. I felt my face turn bright red; clearly, whatever this was, it wasn't normal, even for a demigod.

Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Flinching, I looked to my right, where a tall, beautiful woman had appeared, seemingly from the flames of the campfire. She had tanned skin and soft, warm features. She seemed familiar somehow. Her hair was light brown, like mine, and was braided back into a low, conservative bun. The woman gave me a brief smile, but I detected a hint of struggle in her brown eyes.

She turned her head to address the campers.

"It is so. I am Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth, and this, Alexey Lebedev, is my son."

Silence. Uncomfortable, tense silence. I stared at my _mother_ in complete and utter shock. I was speechless. I looked at everyone else; they all mirrored the expression I imagined was on my face.

"This is _not_ good," Annabeth murmured. As if on cue, Chiron galloped down the steps of the theater, skidding to a stop when he saw who was standing next to me.

"It's just as I feared…" he said.

"Ah, Chiron. It is good to see you," Hestia greeted, managing to hold her smile.

"Yes, Hestia, hello," Chiron sighed. "Alexey, if you could join the two of us in the Big House?"

We began the walk to mentioned house, and I glanced at my friends. Most of them wore shocked expressions; Annabeth's was mostly worry. I looked quickly at Oliver's face – he was no less stunned than the others, but he also looked angry, probably at Brandon. Then, I turned away from my friends and from the campers, and followed the two immortal beings walking ahead of me.

Once we sat down in the living room, there was a prolonged moment of silence. Not even Seymour made a sound. I decided to break the tension, staring directly into Hestia's warm eyes.

"You're my mother?"

"Yes, I am."

"I don't understand. I thought you were a sworn maiden." She winced.

"I was."

"Then why—"

"Alexey," Chiron interrupted, "let's not push that subject at the moment. We have much more pressing matters to discuss." I felt a surge of anger. What could be more important than finding out more about the mother I'd never had? Couldn't whatever Chiron wanted to discuss wait?

Annabeth's words echoed in my mind: _I also know that Chiron is very wise. As much as I hate it, whatever is happening, we may just have to let it play out until there is something we can do._

I crossed my arms and sat back into the couch. "Okay. What's going on, then?" I blurted, disregarding Chiron's surprise at my small act of indignation.

"Very well. It's like this, Alexey. Some of the gods are rather… displeased by this turn of events. While you all were at the campfire, I was here receiving updates from Olympus. I received a report that Hestia had vanished from Olympus just a while ago. As soon as I heard this, I came to the fire as quickly as I could, fearing what was to come – but I was too late. Just as I suspected, she claimed you as her son." As he said all this, Hestia kept her eyes toward the coffee table, unfocused as if she were seeing something far beyond.

"I don't— What… So what does all of this mean? Was my dream correct? Is everything going to fall to chaos?"

"At this point, all I can say is that it is likely your dreams were warnings, though I don't believe they were issued by Athena herself."

"Then who?"

"Hera," Hestia spoke suddenly, "my sister, Goddess of Marriage – of Sacred Oaths. I made such an oath to Zeus when I declared my maidenhood. She knew all along that I had broken it. She was furious, and ever since, she has bided her time, waiting for this all to come out. That's why I took so long to claim you, my… son. As long as I could."

"Well what is she going to do?" I wondered fearfully.

"There is no telling, Alexey," Chiron said. "I am afraid that we will have to wait and see. It is my hope that Zeus will restrain her in order to fend off further deepening of this conflict, but I imagine he is not happy with Hestia at the moment, either." He sent Hestia an apologetic glance.

To say I was frightened was an understatement. Terror racked my body; I was shaking. I had done nothing to become involved with godly affairs – until less than a week ago, I hadn't even believed in gods – and yet here I was, in the middle of what was probably, with my luck, the most catastrophic divine event ever.

"So… Why now? Why did you reveal yourself now?" I inquired of Hestia, my voice trembling.

"Because I feared your life was in danger at that moment. I knew I could wait no longer. You see, your survival is vital, now more than ever, child," she replied, gentle but stern. "For, on Olympus, I am the peacemaker. When the gods have an argument, I am there to mediate. Now, however, the argument is over the peacemaker herself. I am the transgressor, so I cannot perform my duty. That is why you must step in for me. You must prove to the Olympians that you are worthy of their blessing and their trust. If and when all falls apart, it is up to you, Alexey, to restore it."

I stared at her in disbelief, which morphed into anger.

"What? How can you expect me to do that?

"My son, I realize it's a lot to—"

"That isn't fair!" I shot up.

Chiron began, "Alexey, please—"

"I didn't ask to be a demigod. I didn't ask for any of this!"

I stormed out the living room and exited the Big House, tears falling down my face in my rage as I ran toward the cabins. I knew I had just made a fool of myself, but I couldn't help it. It _was_ unfair. I was too afraid, too weak. And that only served to make me madder. I didn't have the power to stop whatever was coming. They would have to find someone else.

As I came upon the cabins, I realized my dilemma; I had no cabin. As far as I knew, there was no cabin for Hestia. Great. Maybe I would just sleep by the hearth at the center of the green instead. As I walked in that direction, I suddenly heard a _whoosh_ behind me, followed by someone grabbing my wrist. Without warning, the darkness around me consumed me, and in an instant, I was inside what appeared to be one of the cabins, sprawled out on the floor.

"Sorry about the ambush," said a voice from above me – I realized it was Nico's. "I had to get you inside before a harpy spotted you."

Composing myself and getting back up to my feet, I groaned, "Was that shadow-travel?"

"Yeah. Sorry. It can be disorienting."

I looked around the room. It exuded simplicity, decorated in dark colors. Other than the two of us, it was entirely empty.

"This place used to be downright gaudy," Nico informed me. "I took care of that, though."

I turned to face him. "Are you the only child of Hades?"

"Yeah. The Big Three – Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades – agreed to stop having kids after World War II. But I was born in the 1930's." I gawked at him. "Long story – I don't want to talk about it. But, as you can see, Hades kept up his end of the deal, unlike the other two. Anyway, you can stay here for the night."

I decided not to bother him with any more questions; I was just glad he didn't seem to be freaked out about my claiming. Gratefully, I sunk into one of the beds and immediately fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next few days were weird. People didn't really know how to act around me – whether it was okay to ask questions or if they should just keep their mouths shut. For my friends, it was the former. They interrogated me about everything: my meeting with Chiron, what Hestia had said, what it felt like to be her son, _et cetera_. I didn't have many answers for them.

I met with Chiron about living arrangements, and he gave me the greenlight on staying in the Hades cabin until a cabin twenty-one could be completed. Fortunately, there was no further discussion of any godly mediation, and Hestia had disappeared.

Then, the following Friday, just after Capture the Flag, I received the worst news of my life.


End file.
